Cape Town - Community action networks have called for the establishment of community care centres for low-risk Covid-19 sufferers unable to safely self-isolate at home.
Nadia Mayman from Bonteheuwel said the majority would not require hospital or ICU-level care, but their socio-economic realities made self-isolation impossible.
“Most people live with others in small houses or informal dwellings and share bedrooms and bathrooms. The community care centre will be a home away from home for people to safely self-isolate in their own neighbourhoods,” she said.
Isolation and quarantine facilities have been established by the provincial health department, but Mayman said most of them were too far from the communities, and alternative models of neighbourhood-based care needed to be supported.
“For many, the experience of being moved out of their communities, coupled with being diagnosed with Covid-19, increases levels of fear and anxiety. In addition, there is an increasing amount of stigma associated with Covid-19, and removal of infected people from their neighbourhoods exacerbates fear and stigma," she added.
Premier Alan Winde said the provincial government had noted hesitation among those diagnosed with Covid-19 seeking to make use of its quarantine and isolation sites because of uncertainty, fear, concerns for their families and homes, as well whether people are able to come and go from the facilities, receive visitors, and drink or smoke.
He said the province currently had 15 government-owned quarantine and isolation facilities providing 2220 acute-care beds and an additional 27 privately owned facilities able to provide 2546 beds.
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